The Larcenists

Marauders.

Raiders.

Pillagers.

Machiavellians.

Each of them described themselves differently, letting their imagination and vocabulary run wild. They were probably the world's greatest thieves; the irony was that no one knew that they stole anything. Like how every person has something to hide, maybe a past, or a secret, they too had an undisclosed prized possession, due to which they could abscond undiscovered. Well, if they were caught, history will be re-written.

Their wealth knew no bounds. From the Indian diamonds in Britain to the famous Da Vinci and Michelangelo paintings, their house was filled up to the brim with artefacts from all over the world. The adrenaline rush they got when they succeeded in stealing something was exhilarating and addictive. And, who are they?

Jay, Neil, Lilly and Tara. The Larcenists.

~~~~~

Lilly walked out of her room, at eight in the morning. She wasn't able to sleep the whole night; she saw an article the previous evening pertaining to some artefacts discovered in Greece. The Parthenon in Athens was an archaic temple built for Goddess Athena, in her honour. The so-called 'temple of the virgin goddess' was a sacrificial area for maidens, which guaranteed the safety of the city. It had been discovered that there were silver coins of astounding value from 434 B.C.

Lilly was the 'gatherer' of the four. It was up to her to keep collecting information and making sure if it was authentic or not. Then, they all would take a vote to decide if going was beneficial or not. She had her connections in all the right places. So she got a lengthy, verbose e-mail saying how the coins had been discovered and they all were made of unadulterated silver.

By the time the others were up, she was extremely fractious. Without further ado, she told them everything and after showing them the mail, she asked them for their opinion. Tara was the nutty one of them all. She was the most easily swayed one too. So, she jumped up saying that they should go. While Neil was ok with it, Jay being the pessimist didn't want to take the risk. He reasoned by saying that the temple would be heavily guarded, especially with the coins in there. But the others wouldn't hear of it. Neil was the 'techie'. He pulled out the blueprints of the monument and started marking the hallways, attic, and treasury from the internet.

Like every other time, they made a plan; when they would start, how many would split up, who would get the coins, who would keep a lookout and the like. By the time they were done, it was around three in the morning. They decided that they should get a day's rest before they steal the coins. Even though they were anxious, they were excited. The prospect of getting caught was always hovering over their heads like a black cloud. But they were confident about themselves and trusted each other without a speck of doubt, after all, they wouldn't be able to pull off most of their heists if not.

A day later, after breakfast, they were ready. Each of them had a backpack with whatever they needed. Neil had safely stowed the blueprint with him, while Tara had packed a lot of food. The others were used to this. She was a foodie and carried something to eat every time they go somewhere. Lilly had stashed a few knives and a gun.

They stood, forming a circle. Jay fumbled with something in his bag. A minute or two later, he got out a royal blue colour box. It resembled the jewellery boxes that we had at home, just more expensive and antique. It was secured with a six digit combination lock. 1-4-1-6-1-6. When Jay had opened the box, there lay a relic curio.